UNESCO External Evaluation - Call for Quotations - RFQ KMI/2019/4392

Posted on:Thu, 25/04/2019 - 11:01

Seeking external evaluator/evaluation team to undertake an evaluation of the UNESCO project ‘Digitizing UNESCO’s Institutional Memory’.

UNESCO and the Government of Japan concluded a Funds-in-Trust agreement for 567GLO0001 Digitizing UNESCO’s Institutional Memory (also referred to as ‘Digitizing Our Shared UNESCO History’) on 8 November 2017 for a duration of 2 years. The Funds-in-Trust was set up in the amount of USD 1 549 969. The scheduled end-date of the project is 31 October 2019.

The rationale for the conclusion of the agreement was the joint wish of both UNESCO and the donor to make UNESCO’s institutional memory more accessible to stakeholders around the world by digitizing content and making it available online with state-of-the-art-technologies.

UNESCO’s archives and historical audiovisual collections are a record of the Organization’s mission to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. The collections tell the story of the ideas and actions, the programs and projects, and the efforts undertaken to fulfil that mission.

The archives and historical audiovisual collections also document more than UNESCO itself. They provide evidence of a history of international cooperation; of individual countries and newly independent states participating in and developing activities relating to education, communication, culture and sciences. With the ability to readily search and discover records within digital catalogues, users can increase and extend the use of UNESCO’s invaluable documentary heritage.

UNESCO’s oldest archives are some of the most frequently consulted materials in the Reading Room at the Organization’s Paris Headquarters. After decades of physical handling, records have started to show signs of wear and tear. Also, the multiplicity of analogue formats in the audiovisual collections, which include films, videos, audio recordings and photos dating as far back as the 1940s, have made use and consultation of these materials a major challenge for years, and in some cases impossible. Digital surrogates contribute to the continuity of and access to the content, as well as to the preservation of the original materials by reducing the risk of damage incurred through handling, extending their longevity and historical value.

The outcomes of the project contribute to meet objectives and expected results in the UNESCO 39 C/5 Programme and Budget – Preserve and provide access to institutional memory.

The main stakeholders are:

Member States, since the archives of UNESCO capture the history of all Member States’ relations to the Organization

Global scholarly community who wish to critically examine the Organization’s activities and impact through a study of archival records

UNESCO itself since this digitization project with state-of-the-art technologies feeds into and inspires the Organization’s ongoing work by providing long-term analyses of its programmes and activities over time

The general public with an interest in UNESCO’s past work

In accordance with the UNESCO Administrative Manual 5.4, and IOS Guidance Note IOS/EVS/PI/126, all projects over USD 1,500,000 are subject to an external evaluation.

Your electronic offer comprising of a technical proposal and a financial proposal, attached in two (2) separate files, shall be sent to the following email address no later than Monday, 13 May 2019, 23:59 CET: a.cowling@unesco.org

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